


Forgive Me

by ProMantis



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25125076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProMantis/pseuds/ProMantis
Summary: During the beginning of Luffy's reign as King of the pirates. A certain group of people escape Impel Down and separate. One of these people returns to Dressrosa to apologize for his past after learning his "young master's" sins.
Relationships: Rebecca/Dellinger
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

The sun shined above the coast of Dressrosa. A group of fishermen have just left port and they began to do what they do best: fish. It seemed as if they wouldn't catch anything until one of them, a somewhat burly man, felt a tug on his line. He alerted his co-worker, a young and lanky man, and gloated that he got something good. The thing he caught was strong but didn't put up a fight, as if knocked out or dead. This worried the lanky but didn't the burly man until the shape appeared. It was in the shape of a man. The burly man, who was rethinking his taunts, reeled in faster until the body was closer enough to grab. He and lanky man brought the seaweed covered body up to the boat and check his pulse to make sure it was dead. It wasn't. He was alive but barely. They pulled the seaweed away to reveal the face. A face that made them regret pulling him up. The ex-officer of the Doflamingo family: Dellinger.

Rebecca was at the cove she trained with Kyros when he was toy. She wanted to relax and have a little nostalgia trip while she was there. It had been a year since the events of Dressrosa. The defeat of Doflamingo and return of riku, the hunt for the remaining members of the Donquixote Pirates, and the escape of the Strawhats from Dressrosa. It all seemed like one of the dreams she would have at the Colosseum. She wished she could tell her younger self to keep going as someone was coming to save her. she laughed to herself when had that thought. She was talking as if it happened 50 years ago. But even that many years could not make her forget the names of those who ruined he life. Out of all the bastards there, one always stood out. Dellinger. She kinda felt bad for him. He was raised by Doflamingo and his underlings since birth. He grew up with only the a small glimpse into the evil Doflamingo did and he still followed him till that day. It didn't that they shared the same birthday and blood type. She wanted to help him but she knew if she did, the jig would be up. But she still regrets it everyday. Then she heard yelling. A type of yelling she had heard before, the type that she heard when her identity was revealed. She got up ran toward the yelling.

As she runs over, she sees people yelling at something or someone. She could only theorize as she got closer. Once she arrives, she is mortified at what she sees: Dellinger, the boy she thought about, about to be burned alive. The men who found him were getting praise and were telling an interviewer about their obvious plan to burn him. Rebecca clenches her fist and runs over to one the fishermen. She begs and pleads for him to be let go but to no avail. Though only being famous for only a few minutes, it had already went to their heads. She didn't know what to do. A part of her wanted this and another wanted to save him. Then she got closer, he was alive by the skin of his teeth. At first she thought the 2 assholes did it to him but she felt the 2 couldn't have done it all. His leopard-esque was torn to the point that it flew in the wind and his hat was dangled from his horn. He had cuts, scratches, and even a bullet wound on his shoulder. She couldn't believe that someone in this condition was still alive. She then decided to do something stupid, something that would make Luffy, pre-king Luffy, proud. She grabbed a sword from someone in the crowd and cut him down. The crowd stopped yelling and stared in surprise, the lady-in-waiting for the princess and granddaughter of the king just saved a member of the Donquixote Pirates. She picked the injured pirate and turned to the crowd. She was about to yell at them but decided not to as she could feel the blood of the poor hybrid run down her dress. The only thing said was "I need someone to take him to the castle". On cue, several men grab her and Dellinger, place them in a carriage, and drove them to the castle. Rebecca tore off a piece of her dress and tried her best to cover one of the more serious wounds.

His appearance and her actions made its way around the world, but this wouldn't be the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

Cold. Cold was all Dellinger felt. He awoke on a bed with only white silk sheets. The room was familiar. Then he realized, it was his old room. To make sure, he checked a one of the corners. He saw the words "King of Fish" written on it. He smirked to himself as he read it, he etched it into to the walls to assert dominance over anyone who entered. It was swiftly found and he was made to fix it and he did, except for one. The one in corner he checked. He laughed to himself to the point of tears. His laughter was halted by a thought: 'why the hell am i back here?'. He stood up and tried to walk to door but stopped by a chain that was around his leg. He was trapped. He walked back to the bed. When sat down, he heard a familiar female voice. "You seem confused." she said. The voice startled Dellinger so much, he yelped and fell back on the bed. "R-Rebecca!?!" he yelped "Why the hell are you here?!?!". "The same can be said to you, mister!" she responded. She up and sat on the bed with him. She changed from a dress to a t shirt and hoodie combo with jean shorts, casual yet serious. Dellinger was stuttering, he didn't know how to answer. "Answer me!" She commanded "how did you get out of Impel Down and Why return here!?". Dellinger looked at her in surprise. This same girl was too nervous to hurt anyone in the arena last he saw her and now, a year later, she was yelling at him like he was cat that did something wrong. This made him talk.

"When word got Mariejois that Doflamingo was a Celestial Dragon," he told Rebecca "they tried to release him. If word got out that a Celestial Dragon was stuck in that hell hole, they would lose all respect. But when they tried to release him, he denied it. He instead wanted us free. He told the guards that he would rather have his family leave rather then him. Around this time, i learned what an actual piece of garbage he was. So when they tried to set me free, i also denied. But since it was order by Celestial Dragon, they forced me out. The first thing i did was run. I ran as far away from those people until there was no land. Then i swam. Swan all the way over here. But a year away from the fighting fish made them lose respect. Then i passed out after trying to fight back." Rebecca stopped him before he said anything else. He started tearing up while telling his story and him cry was something she didn't want to see. "Why did you come back?" she asked nervously.

He stared at the floor for a good minute then responded. "This is my only home. I cant live anywhere else, so i thought i could sneak on the island and sleep anywhere but then the fish stopped me". This seemed to satisfy her but something was telling her that this was only one reason. "Is that all?" she asked. "No," he responded "i also came to apologize". Before she could respond, a someone knocked on the door to the room. It was time for the trial.


	3. Chapter 3

The doors to the throne room open and He was escorted in. He was sat in front of the throne. The throne, where Doflamingo sat when he ruled over Dressrosa, was occupied by the king: Riku Doldo III. Next to him, on 2 different thrones, sat were Princess Viola and a very embarrassed Rebecca. The atmosphere in the room was tense. When the guards had finished cuffing him to the chair, Riku told them to leave as the trial was about to begin.

The door to the room closed and it went dead quiet. The tension was thick that not even Mihawk could cut it. Then the king spoke: "Why have you returned here?". Dellinger answered with the same response he gave to Rebecca, only shorter and simpler. "Did anyone come with you?" Riku asked. "No, it's just me" he responded. "Why didn't anyone come with you?" Rebecca added. This question made Dellinger starts tearing up. He didn't answer. "Before we began the trial, Rebecca told us you wanted to apologize." Riku said "What is it you want to apologize for?". Though the answer is obvious, he wanted to here it from him. 

Dellinger's started crying. Enough that his eyesight was blurry but not enough for him not to answer. "For everything" he said "Everything that i did under that man". He clenched his fist out of anger. "He made me do things that i want to take back. All those evil things". Riku started feeling nervous, he had seen people cry in front of him but here was a member of Doflamingo's crew crying. Not just crew-mate, someone close to him. Then something stood out as he kept repeating his statement on his mind, he called Doflamingo "that man". For the decade Doflamingo had over Dressrosa, Dellinger had followed him. And now he won't speak his name. "You called Doflamingo "that man", why didn't you call him "Doffy" or "Young Master" like the others" Rebecca spoke up. Dellinger tensed after hearing that nickname again. Ones he had said before even as a child. His sadness turned to anger. "That nickname is for someone that is dead to me!" he yelled. The sudden shout could be heard outside the room. He continued "I had followed that bastard for most of life and followed every command he gave. But what i learned during my time in the hell of a prison made my blood boil. Do you want to know why i stopped calling him that?" After he yelled that, he started crying harder. He yelled in a very shaky voice "THAT MAN KILLED MY PARENTS AND TOOK ME".

The words echoed throughout the room and then it went silent, dead silent. Rebecca stared at the once energetic man sit in front of her cry like little kid. Then Viola, who was silent for the whole trial, spoke up "Wait just a minute. When i was member the Donquixote Family, Giolla told me you were abandoned on a pier". Dellinger stared at her and then responded "That's what i thought too. But when i was in that prison, She told me the truth. When i was born, my parents where already in danger from Doflamingo. My dad had angered him somehow and he did what always did to people who pissed him off, kill him and anyone related to him. But when it was done, i was the only survivor. The others protected me from his wrath." His crying became more frequent and voice more unstable. Rebecca wanted to comfort him but couldn't move. 

Riku decided to have Dellinger leave the room to have him let out his emotions but while he was being escorted Rebecca got up to try to comfort him, only for Riku to stop her. "Leave him be, he needs to fight this off on his own. Besides, i feel we should decide the verdict". She sat back down and prayed that this would be over.

Meanwhile, two ships approach Dressrosa. The first is small fishing boat. The occupant of said boat stared blankly at the island. Reminiscing about the days when he used to rule the island with his family. For the occupant was the former officer and eater of the Pop-Pop Fruit: Gladius. The other ship is one that is well known for it's involvement in the now legendary battle for the One Piece. It's captain was just as well known. The captain of the second crew of the strawhat grand fleet and eater of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit: Man-Eater Bartolomeo. Though their reasons and alliances are different, they both had the same goal in mind: find Dellinger.

The doors to the throne room again and a red eyed Dellinger was escorted in. The room that was once filled with tension was now filled with mixed emotions. Other then Riku's near emotionless face, the other 2 had completely different expressions. Rebecca face seemed to be calm, he could she was holding back his joy. Meanwhile, Viola's face was filled anger. Riku then spoke up "After reviewing what you said, we have come to a verdict. Dellinger, we find find you-" before he could finish, Rebecca yelled out in joy "NOT GUILTY!!!!". The words echoed across the room. Dellinger's eyes started tearing up, his life was spared by thanks to the man he had dethroned all those years ago. "Thank you, your majesty. You wont regret it." he said, trying not cry again. "I still think this a bad idea" Viola said with anger in her voice "We should at least have someone monitor him to make sure he doesn't do anythi-". Then Rebecca interrupted "I'll do it".


	4. Chapter 4

It has been a month since the trial. 

Dellinger had moved out to the countryside of Dressrosa. At first, the locals of the area were not very welcoming. But after a while, they lightened up a bit. He helped them with building sheds, clear fields for crops, and even helped when pirates tried to raid the rural ports. He earned enough respect that some of the farmers pitched in and upgraded his small home when it started to fall apart.

During the trial, Rebecca had volunteered to monitor Dellinger so he could not betray them. But this was just a reason to hangout with someone she felt bad for. She had memorized the routes to get his house and which one would be faster on that day. It was a simple route: leave the left side of town and go forward. Turn left from the decapitated Doflamingo statue. Turn left into a small forest then turn right before the bridge in the clearing. If the creek hadn't flooded, than go through. If so, use the vines from the willow above it to swing over. Then take a right from the weird rock and she would be at her destination. When she got there, she noticed that the he was asleep. 'Crap, got here to early' she thought as she sat on a barrel. She had exhausted herself from running all the way over here. She had gotten up early due to the last time she came over, she was late and he'd went to help his neighbors already. She decided to take a nap on said barrel.

Dellinger wakes up after another peaceful sleep. He hadn't slept peacefully in a long time and he was happy that he was able to have a streak. As he got dressed, he heard a noise that confused and startled him. He peaked out his window and saw Rebecca, the old princess and current lady-in-waiting for the princess, sleeping on a barrel outside and snoring. 'Guess elegance is learned thing' he thought to himself. He wanted to just wake her up normally then he noticed a puddle on the cobble path. Then he got an idea.

Rebecca awoke covered in water. "Welcome back to the Land of The Living" she heard Dellinger say from his window.

"WHAT THE HELL, DELL" She shouted at him "YOU GOT ME WET". He laughed until he fell out the window. When he got up, Rebecca gasped at the sight. He has been wearing the same clothes for so long, it started to look like rags. She started to blush.

"Dell, we have to go to town" she says to him. He was confused and asked "Why?" and she responded "Cause your clothes are falling apart, Dell. I can see your 'Fish Stick', that's how thin your pants are". He looks down and yelped, covering himself then he hears Rebecca laugh.

"Okay then how am i supposed to enter town? You know the people in town don't like me as much as the people out here" He says with concern. She sighed and said "I will ask if your neighbor has something for you".

The 2 of them walked into town, trying to not act suspicious. Too bad the trench coat and fedora Dellinger wore made him the most suspicious person ever.

As they walked into the first store they saw, 2 men observed them. The first man wore the same clothes he wore when Doflamingo was in charge. His copper goggles looked rusted and his cloak was torn. Years of neglect had ruined his outfit. The man sipped his tea and started planning. 'Don't worry, Dellinger. I will save you and then me, you, and the others will save Doffy' Gladius thought.

Meanwhile the other man watching them acted more casual, well as casual as man with a cape that read 'up yours'. He pulled a Transponder snail from his pocket "Luffy-senpai, i found Dellinger" Bartolomeo said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back by no-ones demand. Yep, my dumb ass forgot about this. If the beginning seems off, i began the draft in August when i had my old writing style. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the next chapters, whenever it comes out.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Dell." Rebecca said as Dellinger was putting on some of the clothes they bought "Last year, you acted more feminine than you are now. What happened?". Dellinger chuckled as he pulled the curtain to the changing booth "Prison can change a man". Though he kept the fedora to keep himself hidden, he ditched the trench coat and rags for blue suit and red tie with with stripes. His once revealing pants were replaced with blueish-grey jeans.

Yet, his old shoes were replaced with heels.

Rebecca snickered before asking "Then what's with the heels?". Dellinger, red as a tomato, blurted out in embarrassment "Shut up, they're for my kicking!". Rebecca laughed at her friend's embarrassment before standing and walking to the door of the shop they were in. Though she liked making fun of the guy, she couldn't help feel a little happy to see him so act so proud of himself. "Rebecca, are you okay? You look like you're having a fever". She snapped out of her thoughts after Dellinger asked the question, she had been blushing without her noticing.

"No, i'm fine." She said as she pushed open the door to the store. 'That was embarrassing' she thought to herself as she pointed to another store "Let's go there next".

As they walked towards the next store, both Gladius and Bartolomeo got up from their respective spots and began to follow the duo. They had been following the 2 since they arrived on Dressrosa a month ago and were closing in on their target: Dellinger

"Well that store was annoying" Dellinger said as he walked out, try to get the smell of perfume out of his nose "At least Rebecca liked it". He smiled at the memory of the face she made when she saw the store's contents. 'like a kid in a toy store' he thought to himself. He walked into an alley that led to another road before stopping and turning "Long time no see, ay Gladius?".

The blue-haired man stopped following to stare at the young hybrid. 'how did he know' he thought to himself. "And what do we have here, another familiar scent" Dellinger said before turning back around "The Leader of the Alliance Grand Fleet himself. How has it been, Bartolomeo? Heard you got hitched". The rooster-hair man also stopped. 'He smelled me' he thought before speaking "Good. Desire is also doing good, in case you were going to ask".

"I wasn't going to ask" Dellinger said. "Now then," the hybrid said before leaning against a wall "what do you 2 think you're doing here?".

Gladius cleared his throat before approaching the young man "Dellinger, i don't know if you have heard this but Trebol and Pica have been gathering an army to storm Impel Down to free Doffy. I have joined them to rescue him and they asked me to bring you on board. This is our only chance as most of the wardens have left for holiday. We need you to help kill those dumb Blugori during hunting time. Please Dellinger, join us and-" Bartolomeo interrupted.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Spiky. We can't let you. We've placed spies into your ranks to learn the locations of you idiots. We know everything. We have already apprehended the Baby Man and the Little Girl before you got to them. I came to take you in but it seem the little Fish Boy is here as well. You better come with me, Fish, if you know what good for ya".

Dellinger stared down at the floor, thinking of his options, then answered both of the men's questions: "No".

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO" they both yelled at the young man. "I said no. I came here to make up for my crimes. I WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE EVER" Dellinger yelled out. "Well then," Bartolomeo said "Looks like i'm gonna have to take ya by force". He crossed his fingers before yelling "Let me introduce you to my new technique. **BARRIER SUMMON: TSURUBE OTOSHI** ".

A barrier appeared above the young man. It started to morph into the head of a man. The head began to laugh before dropping onto him. Or did it.

Right before it landed, Dellinger appeared behind the Fleet Leader before sprinting away. 'What the hell was that thing?' he thought to himself. "NOT SO FAST, DELLINGER. **CATAPULT POP!** ". He shot several inflated bullets at the running hybrid who dodged all the attacks. The bullets hit a building and exploded, causing it to collapse. "What the," Gladius said before yelling "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DODGE".

Dellinger then appeared on a crate behind him "Dressrosa's countryside is a popular place for people to retire. Whether it be pirates, marines, or even Cipher Pol agents. And when you help people with their problems, they do stuff for you. From fixing your roof, giving you food," he then smirked "to even teaching you techniques that only they know. For Example: **SHAVE** ".

He then vanished again just as Gladius turned, before appearing behind him again. " **FINGER PISTOL** ". Gladius yelled out in pain as Dellinger pierced his pointer finger in his back.

"Found you, Fish Boy".

Dellinger heard Bartolomeo said before, what appears to be a minotaur, rammed into him and sending him flying. He hit a wall and slid down with him coughing up blood. When his vision steadied, he notice the rooster man was bleeding. "What happened, did Gladius beat you before he chased me?" he asked. Bartolomeo laughed before answering "You wish. Whenever i use Barrier Summon, i get damaged to the point of bleed. These barriers have a certain range. For them to move like do, they need to separate from me. Think of it like breaking a limb off".

Dellinger stared at the smiling man before shaving again. He reappeared again in front of the store where Rebecca had been waiting for him.

"Where have you been" She asked, not questioning the fact he appeared right in front of her "I have been waiting for you for a while. Viola put me in charge of watching you and you agreed to those terms. I enjoy our hangouts and i don't want have to repo-". She stopped talking after noticing him bleeding. "Rebecca, we need to go" Dellinger said in between breathes. "Wait, why and why are you bleeding" she asked before Dellinger grabbed her arm pulled her away from the area. "No time to explain," he said "we need to go anywhere but here".

She followed him as they turned corners to the point where they started to enter area that Rebecca didn't know existed. She then started to hear other people run with them. Then, as they ran, a transparent dog appeared in front of them. They stared at it as it seemed to smell the air looking for someone. It stopped, then stared at the pair. They both realized why it sniffed the air: It had no eyes. It growled before letting out a distorted barking sound.

It began pursue them.

They ran from it, getting more lost than ever. 'i wish brought my sword' Rebecca thought as they ran from the beast. Then she started to hear voices around her, 2 of them in fact. She then notice Dellinger and the dog had disappeared. "Crap" she said out loud. Then she felt someone grab her.

"Crap" Dellinger yelled out as he faced a brick wall. He then heard a someone walk behind him. "Looks like you're cornered" Bartolomeo said. Dellinger turned before being rammed by the minotaur again. We was pushed into the wall, leaving a mark in the shape of his body. He could feel the blood pouring from his head and onto the stone. This was it, he was gonna die. "Goodbye, Dellinger. **BARRIER SUMMON: TSURUBE OTOSHI** " an audible crack filled the air as the barrier head formed. In his cockyness, he didn't hear the sound of the barrier break off.

"NO SO FAST" Gladius yelled out. The head stopped then vanished as Bartolomeo stared at the spiky haired man. He was holding Rebecca by the neck with an inflated arm. He was intending to separate the girl from her body. "Give me Dellinger and i will give you the girl" He said.

"REBECCA" the boy yelled out "GLADIUS, LET GO OF HER NOW!!!". "No" he responded "not until you join me in freeing Doffy". "Dell," Rebecca mustered out "forget...about...me...run". He started to see red, his teeth fell out before being replaced with sharper ones "NEVER!". He charged at the man with his horns, only for a barrier to block him.

"Sorry, kid" Bartolomeo said "but the grownups handle this. Now then, Spiky, give me the girl or i will clobber you".

"Give it up, Bartolomeo. Let me collect the boy or i will send her to kingdom come" the blue haired man said. "Fine then, have it your way. **BARRIER CRA-** " Bartolomeo attempted to attack, only for the Dellinger to bite his shoulder out of desperation. Bartolomeo let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell to the floor. 'Damn brat' he thought before passing out.

"LET HER GO, NOW!!!" Dellinger yelled out after releasing Bartolomeo. Rebecca stared in horror at what she witnessed, yet she couldn't help but blush. He would go as far as harming the leader of the Alliance Grand Fleet just to save her. Seeing him reignited the fight in her. She followed his example and bit into Gladius' inflated arm. Though she lacked Dellinger's sharp teeth, it was painful enough to cause Gladius to let of her. She ran from him before his arm went off and shot another building.

She ran behind Dellinger to hide from the pissed ex-executive but also be closer to him. He didn't notice as his mind was focused on one thing: Kill Gladius.

He charged at the man, his mouth open and ready to shred his ex-friend. Then a light began to glow under him as he charged. Then an explosion followed, causing him to launched into the air and fall right back where he began. Rebecca got close to the barely conscience hybrid, trying to protect him. "LEAVE HIM ALONE," She yelled "HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO WITH YOU! JUST LEAVE!". Gladius, fed up, began to inflate his arm again. "I don't care anymore" he said "DIE".

She braced for the impact only to hear some fall to the floor. She opened her eyes and saw Bartolomeo punching Gladius on the head and knocking him out.

"That takes care of that" The green-haired man said before turning to the pair "Give me Dellinger, Rebecca. He needs to be punished". Rebecca began to hold the beaten man in her arms "No". Bartolomeo raised an eyebrow in anger "I am not in a good mood anymore, give him to me".

She started to cry as she spoke "No, never. I don't want him to go. I want him to stay because-because" she inhaled before yelling out "I LOVE HIM!!!".

That was first thing Dellinger heard when his ears stopped ringing from the explosion. She continued "IT WASN'T HIS FAULT HE WAS RAISED BY THOSE BASTARDS! HE WAS TAUGHT TO DO THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS AND NOW HE WANTS TO CHANGE! HE WANTS TO LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND HIM! IF YOU WANT TO TAKE HIM IN THEN TAKE ME WITH **HIM**!". That final word caused a powerful and unstable wave of conquers haki to be unleashed. It was powerful enough to cause Bartolomeo to weaken from it.

Yet it didn't effect Dellinger. He faced started to burn up from how hard he was blushing.

Bartolomeo sighed before pulling out a small transponder snail. He dialed a number in and waited for a responce. "Oi, this Sanji speaking" the snail said. "Sanji-senpai, can you put Luffy-senpai on the line" Bartolomeo responded, trying to hide his excitement. "Okay, Rooster" Sanji said before the snail went silent for a minute then another voice spoke up "Oi, Bartolomeo, hows the plan going". The voice was Luffy's, who appeared to have food in his mouth.

"Luffy-senpai, we hit a snag" Bartolomeo said, still trying to hide his excitement "Gladius wasn't the only one here. As it turned out, Dellinger has been hiding out here as well. I already caught the Hedgehog but Rebecca is blocking me from retrieving the fish. She says hes turned a new leaf and that she loves him and blah blah blah". "YOU DON'T NEED TO HIM THAT" she yelled. Bartolomeo ignored her as she continued "What should i do now?". Luffy burped into the microphone and responded "If he is no longer a threat then let him go". "WHAT" both Bartolomeo and Rebecca said.

"Yeah, if he truly changed his ways then he isn't a threat. Or at least that's what Drake said. To be honest, i really don't care". Luffy hung up before Bartolomeo could speak. He turned to the pair and sighed "Looks like you're safe. Luffy has mercifully spared you". He grabbed the unconscious body of Gladius and walked away from the pair.

Rebecca began to cry again. Not from sadness but from joy, he was gonna stay with her. "Rebecca..." Dellinger said in a pained voice. She looked down to see the hybrid smiling at her. She hugged him out of joy "Welcome back to the land of the living" she said to him. He sat up with a small chuckle before speaking "Is what you said true?".

She started to blush "What do you mean?". "What you said to him. That you love me". She began to feel nervous. She was gonna confess to him after a month or 2 but now. "Is it true that you love me?".

She decided that it's now or never. She hugged him harder and responded "Yes". He hugged back "Thank you, i love you too".

An hour had passed and some guard find the 2 embracing in the alley. They approached and realized they were asleep. They passed out in each others arms, getting both of their clothes stained with blood. But, by their peaceful faces, they didn't mind.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first series i finished. Happy Valentines Day.

_A ring of fire surrounds a girl in the ruins of a city. The girl stared at Rebecca with a murderous intent. The dress she wore was singed and full of bullet holes, it didn't help that the stained blood made them look more like a demon._ _Her piercing green eyes seemed to stare directly at her heart. A familiar straw hat sat upon her head, barely covering her long blue hair._

_The area around her began to shake as a white, stringy creature with 4 arms emerged from behind the girl. It let out a piercing roar._

Rebecca awoke in his bed, a pool of sweat surrounding her. She looked around the room for Dellinger and found no one. She sat up, fearing the worst, only to smell the scent of food being made in the kitchen.

It has been a couple of months since Dellinger and Rebecca began dating. To many, the news came as a shock. A year ago, they where enemies and here they are now. They never cared about what anyone else thought, even when it became front page news. They just kept on going. The most recent "scandal" was her moving in with him. They had discussed about moving into the castle or in a town but they settled on the house she and dad lived.

Of coarse when Kyros heard of Rebecca dating Dellinger, he got defensive. He didn't his daughter to die like Scarlet. But that changed after he learned about him defending Rebecca from Gladius. After he left his old house to see if any work was need for the newly established "Pirate King Alliance", he left Rebecca and Dellinger in charge of it. After a small renovation, they moved in.

Rebecca walked into the kitchen and sat on a small wooden chair. She watched Dellinger cook their breakfast for the day. "Good morning Dell" she said, startling her love. "Morning" he responded. "Whatch making" she said with a smile. "Some recipe i stole" he responded. "DELL!" Rebecca yelled as she hit him over the head. "OW!" He yelled out in pain before asking "Will it make you feel better if i say i stole it from pirates?".

She sat back down and sighed "A little, i guess. This better be good".

After breakfast, they went to the beach that Rebecca trained all those years ago. "Alright, Dell" She said as she grabs a sword "Let's see if learned anything". Dellinger nodded and charged at her. She blocked and sent him back. He charged again but before she could block, he switched to barrage of kicks. She blocked each kick with the only damage being a small nick on her hand.

"Very good, Dell" She said, causing Dellinger to blush. "Now let's try with Haki" she said as she braced for his attack.

He nodded then closed his eyes. He breathed in slowly. The world was quite, with the only noise he heard was his heartbeat. A grey coating began to cover his horns. Then, when his horns where completely covered, he charged again. Rebecca blocked but she couldn't knock him back. The sound of metal on keratin made an unbearable noise that neither could stand.

Then snap.

The sword broke in two, with the top half flying behind her. The match was over. "Well done, Dell," She said in between pant "you did better than last time". "I would have won if i slept more" He said. She smirked before responding with a "Yeah right".

The sun began to set as their training continued. Many swords where broken and a few heels snapped as well. By the end of the day, they where tired and drenched in sweat.

An hour had passed as watched the waves crash on the moonlit beach. They leaned on each other for support as sleep began to sink its lavender claws into the pair. "Hey, Dell, Do you want to go back home?" She asked with Dellinger nodding in response. They got up and began to make the long trek to their home.

"WAIT!" a voice yelled out. A figure ran towards them, a figure with a straw hat.

Back at home, the couple had brought their "royal" friend back with and let him visit. "So that's how The Sunny now has a cannon on the crows-nest" Luffy said in a nearly slurred voice. "Wow" Rebecca said "Interesting story, right Dell". "I lost track after the snow lizard army" he answered. Luffy laughed before speaking "It's fine, i nearly forgot".

"Luffy," She said before asking "Since when did you start drinking". Luffy laughs again, causing his small collection of bottles. "You pick stuff up when you have to deal with dumb things." he said "But between you and me, I am kinda regretting getting the One Piece but at least i'm the freest man in the world". "Right" the couple said, doubting his words.

"Say," he said "I have question. How did you do it?". "Do what?" Dellinger asked. "Date. How did you 2 begin to date?" He asked. "Well, I saved her from certain death by a hedgehog with gears" Dellinger answered, shivering at how Gladius was willing to kill. "So put her in a deadly situation, got it" Luffy said, hitting his hand. "NO, YOU IDIOT" the pair yelled at the Pirate King.

"Who do you want to date anyways?" Rebecca asked as Dellinger tried to steady his breathing. "Oh, that would be Bonney" he said with a laugh. "Wait, Jewelry Bonney?" Dellinger asked. Luffy nodded then he continued. "What do you see in her? She's loud, She eats a lot, She's sporadic" he stopped before continuing "Okay, i can see what you see in her". Rebecca hits Dellinger on the head "Don't be mean to him. I think it's cute that Luffy likes something other than meat". "Right, sorry" he apologizes.

"Like i said, got any suggestions?" Luffy asks again. Rebecca begins to think before responding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, this was a prequel to a prequel. Wasn't the original idea but as ANJ began to take shape in my head, i decided to use this story as a piece of lore. Hopefully you enjoy and have a lovely Valentines day.
> 
> I will be focusing on ANJ with the occasional return to other fics.


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